Fujairah football is Maradona’s top-priority

Diego Maradona is set to return to professional football after being appointed technical director /coach of Fujairah Football Club.

The 1986 FIFA World Cup-winner has returned to the coaching fray for the first time in five years since his exit from fellow United Arab Emirates side Al Wasl.

A source from the club said that they will be working on building a strong team for the future with players from Fujairah FC academy.

Diego Maradona announced his newest challenge via social media with @Fuj_FC in the UAE

“I am really excited,” Maradona told FIFA.com. “It’s a new challenge in a smaller league, although I’ll treat it like it was the best in the world.”

The Argentinian great played in four World Cups overall and also coached La Albiceleste to the quarter-finals at South Africa 2010.

Maradona recently become a key member of the FIFA Legends programme.

In an interview last month with Fifa, Maradona talked about his new appointment.

“Yes, I’ll be coaching again. I’ll work for Al Fujairah which is located an hour away from Dubai”.

“They came for me after 4 years without coaching. I haven’t coached since the World Cup”.

“I like the project and especially the team who were one point away from being promoted. That means the spine of the team is a solid one. Now it’ll be time to work with them and recharge the batteries”.

“I’m not afraid of the challenge, it’s the opposite in fact. The very opposite. I’m really excited”.

“I cannot wait to meet the players and see how they train, how they eat, how they hit the ball”.

“It’s a new challenge in a smaller league, although I’ll treat it like it was the best in the world”.

“Fujairah is my top priority project and I will give it my full attention and focus and not let anything distract me,” he added.

Maradona also revealed that there were other offers on the table from Kazakhstan and Russia, among others, but chose this unique “project” from Fujairah.

Maradona has received offers from Kazakhstan, Russia and other places but he has stated that his agenda now is only Fujairah and that he will work very seriously and work hard. He wants to create a team and attract players so that Fujairah SC can play at a higher level.

He has said before that he loves living in the UAE and that it is the best place in the world and he would never like to leave it and he will infuse his passion to Fujairah.

The UAE continues to make significant strides in football with the gulf nation set to host the FIFA Club World Cup later this year, as well as the next AFC Asian Cup in 2019.